LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Assignment Title: History of the SDA Church Media and Media Used Today
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
Date: January 29, 2022
Professor: Dr. Joel Breidenbaugh
Introduction
Often the media is blamed for the terrible things that happen in this world but we need to remember
that terrible things happened long before the modern media were invented and even more terrible
things happen where the media are not allowed to function. It is not easy to adapt one’s ministry to the
Information Age. The churches use of mass media complements the more conventional (traditional)
means of communication such as pulpit, one-to-one and family visitation. Information is an essential an
essential social and cultural resource for all people, not just a commodity with commercial value. In this
period of the information revolution, people should not be surprised that many traditional methods are
abandoned (Comiskey, 1985).
History of the SDA Church Media
The mission of the SDA church is to make disciples and to share the message to everybody. The
church believes that when all have heard the message than the Lord will come. The pioneers of the SDA
church first began their work when they were teenagers. Many of the leadership positions were held by
teenagers and young adults in the early church. They had to personally travel to the different areas of
the world to do word of mouth ministries.
John Nevins Andrews (1829 – 1883) was a SDA minister, missionary, writer, editor and scholar. He
was the first SDA sent to countries outside North America. He was the most prominent author and
scholar of his time. He played a fundamental role in the establishment of Adventist theology. Third
President of the General Conference and he became an editor of the Review and Herald (now known as
Adventist Review) (Knot, 2013). Joseph Bates (1729 – 1872) was a seaman and revivalist minister. He
was the founder and developer of Sabbatarian Adventism. He was known as the ‘apostle of the Sabbath’
and wrote several booklets on the topic. He contributed to the early publications of the church (White E.
G.). Ellen Gould White (1827 – 1915) was a prolific Christian author and one of the American Christian
pioneers whose ministry was instrumental in founding the SDA movement that led to rise of the SDA
Church. She had the spiritual gift of prophecy and her writings showcase the hand of God in Christian
history. Her and her husband formed the SDA Church (White E. G.). There were more pioneers that
travelled the world spreading the gospel at their time.
The design of churches changed after the reformation to reflect a wider shift from a networked,
social form of religion, to one where spirituality was broadcasted to more passive consumers (Lewis,
2016).
Media Used Today
Print Media
The bible is the oldest book ever written. In bible times it was merely scrolls handwritten by people
who were inspired by God. Later it was made into a book which is divided into two testaments, the old
and the new. It was written in three original languages namely; Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. Nowadays,
the bible is translated into many different languages.
Along with the bible. the SDA church has many books by different authors such Ellen G White, who
were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about God’s message. Bible commentaries help people
understand what the texts mean and how to interpret them. The SDA has many publishing companies
that publish and distribute a variety of books to all the parts of the world they can reach. Many churches
distribute books, magazines, pamphlets, CD’s/DVD’s and other printed material to their members and
visitors (ANN, 2012).
Broadcast Media
TV and radio have helped reinforce the idea that they would quietly receive information rather than
joining in the service (Lewis, 2016).
Radio
Radio is the most inexpensive form of media distribution and one that reaches many people.
People can listen to the radio at home, in their car, on their phones, etc. It has advantages over the
other mass media such as television and magazines in terms of being handy, portable, easily accessible
and cheap. Many poor communities can only afford a radio. To have the church on the radio is a way to
reach these people. About 97 percent of the population is reached by the radio. Radio being a
convenient form of entertainment caters to a large audience (Kamat, 2012).
The SDA church has many radio stations that cater for different people. The Adventist World Radio
reaches 80 percent of the world’s populations and it is broadcast in 77 major languages of the world.
3ABN. which is also a television channel, has different branches to cater for different groups such as,
Latinos, Australians and they have a station dedicated to music alone (ANN, 2012).
Television
Many people today are feeling the effects of an ever-intensifying society. The television ministry
reaches millions of people. They broadcast in different languages so that everyone can hear and receive
the gospel in their own language. Hope Channel in Africa broadcasts Hope Channel International in
English and Hope Channel Novo Tempo in Portuguese for Angola and Mozambique. Hope Channel is
planning to expand their channel to accommodate indigenous languages because there are many
people who do not speak English or Portuguese in Africa (ANN, 2012).
Digital Media
Bible believing churches can effectively use social media to communicate to their members by
announcing upcoming events, sharing audience specific information, and knowing the best time to post
on these sites (McKinney, 2014). It is not strange for large organizations to interact with its members
and promote their message via digital media. However, the democratic nature of digital media is
allowing the church to play a much more unusual role in such a traditional hierarchal body (Lewis, 2016).
The SDA church has several websites such as https://www.adventistmission.org/,
https://www.adventist.org/en/world-church/general-conference/, Helderberg Church and Pretoria
Eastern Suburbs Church have a Facebook page, and many churches have WhatsApp groups.
